Earned Reward
by LunaRabbit
Summary: (AU where Eight ended the Time War) The Doctor was willing to let go of his role for another, he was broken beyond repair. Unfair as it was, his reward for all he had given was to simply disappear so someone else could take his place. However, perhaps by one miracle and someone forcing him to take one favor, he could continue on.
1. Chapter 1

He was surely going to gain a reward for ending the war, that was what he had arrogantly told himself. It was the only way he could avoid thinking deeper about the past, about the mistakes he had made…about the trail of blood he had left behind that he could never clean off his hands. However, the longer he had forced himself to stay alone the more it came to mind, the companions that sacrificed themselves, the ones who left implying a return but couldn't bring himself to, he had torn himself apart in a million different ways without even realizing.

He didn't want to die, not again. He had enough of being something else, this was the reward he had been given? To simply continue on in this cycle as he watches the man he became fade to dust? He could let go of the Doctor, but he couldn't let go of himself. He didn't want another metacrisis, he wanted the man he was now to remain in existence. _Even if he was forced to do something else_.

He thought of it like a retirement from saving the universe, he'd let the new Doctor be on his or her way…he'd find a quiet planet to rest on and become perhaps a curator? A scientist? Professor? He could work for UNIT full time and give them advice that doesn't result in gunfire. He was sure that Kate Stewart might appreciate an extra pair of hands especially from a veteran in the area such as him.

He'd fantasize about it, but he knew it was quite impossible. He let out a sad laugh to himself in alien ruins on a planet far, far away from any kind of society. It was strange, no matter where he went the rain felt the same. Even if it was blue, pink or purple it sounded exactly like it would on…

 _Earth._

It was his home for a long time, in a way his heart was still there. It had become quite a precious place, as he lay on the ground feeling the ache in his bones and the sting of his wounds he thought about how nice it would be, to perhaps let himself drift off into regeneration in a dream. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to see days long past.

"Is this your end, Doctor?" The voice of an older female spoke above him, his bright blue eyes snapped open to see the hooded woman staring at him from above "Feeling sorry for yourself?"

"Leave me alone…" His voice cracked, his throat felt so dry and it was as though he had force the words from his lips. "The war is over, let me die."

"Come on now, this is not what you want and you know it." She snapped "You have gained this irritating habit of letting yourself _suffer_ , you know that? You ended the war, the universe owes you at least one favour."

"I do not wish to join the Sisterhood _utter boredom_. Thank you." He grumbled as he shifted slightly, he guessed he wasn't going to drift away in his sleep after all. So much for that, the _one_ thing he asked for.

"I wouldn't even _dream_ of it." The woman responded "Normally we wouldn't interfere, however with how much we currently owe you I am willing to make an offer. Your life." That caught his attention, his eyes sharpened towards her. "You will let go of your role as the Doctor and be your own life, own being. However, the trade-off is that you create yourself a new role in another universe that needs you. Whatever that may be."

He scanned her as though he was looking for a hint of sarcasm, but she was being serious "What will happen to me then? I will just regenerate eventually-:"

"This will be your only body." She interrupted "You can have the retirement you have been seeking for over a hundred years, unfortunately you will also have to sacrifice your lifespan. But I am sure with your current state of mind you're not exactly going to _object._ "

He scoffed "You think I'm going take any offers from _you?_ What are you all getting out of this?" He asked though his tone made his own throat ache, every bit of trust he once had was tainted by being pulled into a war he wished to avoid. He felt his skin begin the burn. It's starting.

"This isn't an offer." The sister said looking straight into those accusing eyes "This is for your own good." She then stated approaching the weakened man, before he could speak any more words of objection, he felt something slice his way through his stomach. "We did plenty of research on what happens during the regeneration of a Timelord, with the right tools we can separate at least one personality and have it transport it beyond the thin walls between universes."

He felt as though he was seeing lights, he was already in pain sure but whatever this was _burned_. The fire was more intense than the regeneration itself, he could almost feel himself slipping on his grip to his current body. "Besides…" She spoke once again "All it took was one biological metacrisis for us to learn the information, and how much it benefitted one of your future selves in the process."

He was gasping at this point, his eyes however burned with anger over his consent being taken over the matter. He was angry, in pain and felt himself fading away.

Whatever it was that linked him to the ' _Doctor'_ had been cut off.

"Even a war-torn and bitter man deserves an opportunity to heal."

As his vision faded, only vague images flashed through his mind. It was a sensation like he was falling, a part of him wanted to burst out sobbing pathetically…like a child feeling as though the cards he had been dealt were not fair. He truthfully just wanted to die, with all these good memories and for once without thinking about the guilt.

He never managed to see of Jamie turned out alright, or even checked on Zoe, he managed to see Susan again but he still felt as though he had done was yet to make up for leaving her, then eventually different names came up, Liz, Jo, the Brigadier then one in particular…

He never went back for Sarah Jane, either. He still felt terrible guilt for that, perhaps she had gotten on with her life. He wouldn't be surprised if she despised him for speaking as though he would return but never did, was he even accurate in taking her home? He was never quite good at getting the right place at the right time.

It was then he had hit the ground, hard.


	2. Chapter 2

When he came around, he definitely wasn't on a cold hard pavement. In fact, it seemed he was lying on someone's sofa. His eyes slowly cracked open as his hearing cleared and he could hear the voice of a woman talking to another in the same room.

" _Thank you, I'll be fine here. I can call am ambulance."_ The woman said before he heard the sound of a closing door. He tried to examine his current surroundings, the room was quite spacious and it looked a little cluttered with a few books lying around. When he tried to sit upright he gasped as the burning of the knife that penetrated his skin suddenly hit like a wave through his body. However when he quickly looked, he saw that the wound that he was feeling was merely a slight burn mark on the surface of his skin.

The rest of him however, felt as though he had been hit like a truck. He guessed that if what that _bitch_ said was correct he had lost any regeneration privileges, including fast healing.

He did notice however, he blood hadn't become red like a human's (is this Earth? It somehow feels like it) but was still a tint of orange. Not exactly something he wanted being seen by a human hospital. He tried to sit up again, this time the shock of the pain made him collapse from the seat onto the floor with a slight bang, his company heard this of course and immediately rushed to the room.

"Oh God, are you alright!?" She called out as she kneeled to his side. He was yet to catch her face, however the voice…

That voice…

He felt a pair of hands try and lift him to sit upright, he caught a glimpse of her dark hair. The way she was trying to lift him back to the couch even felt familiar ah…!

It was then they finally were face-to-face, and it was then everything made sense. Those brown eyes he was so familiar was never more welcome than in this moment.

A smile cracked on his face for the first time in a century. "Sarah…" He said breathlessly, it was Sarah for sure, his Sarah, the one who he left behind, the one who even now still saved his _stupid_ life even after all of that. He wanted to pull her into a hug so badly but…his arms currently felt like iron.

Sarah Jane however, looked at him in confusion and surprise "Have…we met?"

…What?

"I'm sorry uhm, I don't think I have ever met you before."

… _What?_

This really was another universe, and it _had_ to be a one where his Sarah Jane didn't know him…but _wait_ , she hadn't seen this face before! Aha! He could just tell her who he is.

"Sarah Jane, it's me!" His voice grew a little stronger "The Doctor!"

Her eyes didn't even show a light of recognition "Doctor… _who?_ "

Now this was a cruel reality, he had been thrown into a world where they had never met. He wanted to scream, the _one_ face he was so relieved to see in all these years and she didn't even know who he was! He almost wanted to fall into a wave of manic laughter, then tears over how alone he actually truly felt right now.

He didn't want this, he didn't want end up living in a world where not even one of his dearest friends even knew him. However, still…

Still, she was trying her best to make sense of the situation.

"You may be a little confused…" She tried to give him a soft smile "I'm going to call an ambulance, they you'll be alright. Is there anybody you need me to call?"

"No…" He answered "I have nobody." He then added almost bitterly. He felt himself still cling a little to her like he used to, being unable to stand on his own was the perfect excuse to seek comfort from a face he loved dearly…even if she didn't even know him in this world. "And please don't call anyone, I'm fine."

"You're far from fine!" She remarked "You can barely _stand_!"

Although it was true, it really was just the creepy ritual stabbing and the journey that hurt…every other injury had healed well enough while he still had regenerative abilities. He somehow got a feeling as long as he rested, this body could feel a hundred times better by tomorrow even if he was still a little sore. "I am, really…I'm just having a bit of fatigue, I pushed myself too hard and collapsed. I'll be fine by tomorrow."

"You look more like you just went to hell and climbed your way back." She responded, he let out a weak chuckle.

"We have met…" He tried to change the topic as quickly as he could "You interviewed me a while back, I know you were pretty swamped that day."

She clearly didn't recall; however, she seemed to try and assume it was possible. Somehow, he had managed to stay sat up on the couch, though he admitted her presence did give him the slight energy boost he needed "I'm sorry, I didn't know anyone from that event lived nearby." She said still looking as though she was digging through her brain to find his face.

"Don't worry, I can't expect you to remember the face of a stranger." He honestly tried to smile at her, but it fell even weaker than before "I'm…" he paused "My name is James." He stole the name of an old friend "James… _Chesterton._ " Was that his surname? Honestly, he got it wrong so many times he wondered if he even got that accurately.

"That's nice, _James Chesterton._ But I can't exactly let you leave like this…" She was fussing, he had to admit it was rather nice to have her fuss over him for once. He missed it. "I have to at least get you home."

 _Home…_ shit. He didn't exactly have anywhere to go right now, he was homeless in a completely different universe than he was familiar with. He wouldn't be surprised if this version of Earth and Sarah were slightly different. However, she still felt the same, it was as though all the events leading to this point were the same but she never met him.

"Uhm…" He fumbled for an answer "I don't exactly… _have_ a place to go."

"You're _homeless?_ " She asked with surprise, she suddenly looked rather worried "You really have nowhere? No family, friends?"

"Literally no one." He replied, she looked at him apologetically as though she felt guilty about bringing it up. "You could say I have been banished from my home."

He knew from reading her face, he got the message across. Though for her this probably means his family somehow disowned him, with no place to go he guessed she would offer to take him to a shelter-:

"You can stay here a little while." She suddenly stated, was she inviting a strange man to stay under the same roof? "Nobody else lives here, I'm alone too."

"Are you sure about that? As far as you're aware I'm a criminal…" He looked a little concerned for this version of Sarah Jane, what if someone took advantage of that? It wasn't like her to simply do such a thing…

However, he read something else of her face. By accident he read the thought waves hanging in the air around her.

There was something about him she couldn't put her finger on, she normally didn't do this but her gut was screaming at her to keep him here, that she did perhaps…meet him somewhere. Perhaps, the Sisters of Karn manipulated this world so he'd have the amazing luck of one of his friends willingly keeping him with them, perhaps they really were playing a little game with him.

"I guess…but I can't just throw you on the streets either." That was her excuse, it seemed she couldn't entirely make eye contact with him right now. Maybe his expression seemed a little intimidating, he had changed a lot thanks to that hellhole of a war. "Perhaps it'll be fine for a little while, until you get back on your feet. It's not as if you're in any state to stab me in my sleep anyway." She said in a light-humoured tone, he gave a weak laugh.

Ow, that hurt.

Even so, he gently smiled at her…it's alright if she doesn't know him for now. Even so, within this moment was the most at peace he had been in centuries.

He wouldn't be anywhere else but here.

"You're a good person, Sarah Jane Smith." He spoke gently while finally making eye contact again once more "There aren't too many humans quite like you."


	3. Chapter 3

She spent a lot of her days alone.

She was never very extroverted, despite being a journalist. She used to be far better at pretending to be so however, somewhere along the way she had just burned out. She had to admit to herself she felt a little lonely, but what could she do? She was used to loneliness, the only family she really knew was her aunt.

And although she loved her, she wasn't the best at keeping contact. Her Aunt Lavinia would often travel due to her work, she never retired and she never sat still. It made it difficult to visit or even get a phone call or two. She was thankful she stuck around to raise her, she figured a young baby was a difficult thing to be thrown with after her parents passed away. She always tried, she knew that and acknowledged it.

However, she did occasionally wish she had friend that didn't avoid her sometimes after an investigation goes awry and she ended up taking blame, or that her family acknowledged her when her aunt wasn't around. It was incredibly tiring to try her best to be a social butterfly for a little while only to feel like she was only bothering them.

Maybe that was a hint of anxiety talking, she guessed even she could become victim to it sometimes.

Still it was nice to have a day to herself, the best thing about being a freelancer is as long as she made enough money she could choose to take a day or two off. She wasn't really one for slacking, but after the disappointment of seeing family that hadn't seen her in years take barely any interest in her and having friends that she felt she had drifted apart from, she needed a chance just to forget her worries.

Then, this man collapses right in front of her house.

It was like he was quite literally dropped there, though that was impossible of course. But somehow, something about him felt a little different, his blood was an odd colour and there was something about him that seemed strikingly familiar. She had never met this man before in her life, she did meet and even date a few men but this for sure wasn't one that should be so familiar. She had an urge to help him and thus, managed to convince a neighbour to help get him into her house. When she had him laid on the couch she told him she would take care of everything.

She was just being a good person, helping someone who was clearly in distress. However, she seemed to fuss over him more than the normal stranger, it felt somewhat natural.

His skin felt colder when she checked for life-signs, his breathing was laboured but he seemed to settle down a bit by the time she got her phone.

Then he woke up, and then he said the strangest of things. His eyes, they looked as though they recognised her completely and utterly. She couldn't even stop herself from letting him stay here. Somehow when she sat here with him, she felt…comfortable. Of course, she was worried but somehow she trusted his word when he told her he would be much better by tomorrow.

He was now in the bed she had in the spare room, she had convinced him to allow her to check his injuries. Apart from the sight of what looked like an old burn on his stomach, they seemed to be all minor. She was now standing downstairs as she left him to sleep, somehow she couldn't help but continue to check on him and peek.

He looked almost like a child as he slept, and he was so completely out of it she wondered if anything could possibly wake him up. It was for the best that he stayed here, whoever his family was…they clearly didn't care for his safety.

She didn't know his story, but somehow the mere thought of him being thrown out onto the streets in such a state got her worked up. If she was to meet them, she would for sure give them a piece of her mind! He could have simply died out there…

It was then she heard someone struggling their way downstairs, of course there was only one person who would be attempting that. She immediately rushed towards him to see him clinging to the walls. "You should still be in bed." Sarah raised an eyebrow at him "You can barely stand nevermind make your way back downstairs!"

"I don't want to spend the entire day just sleeping…" His voice was still a little weak "Can't I just sit downstairs? I promise I won't bother you. Just give me something to read and I'll be satisfied."

"I can bring you something…" She gave him a stern glare "While you're in _bed_."

He gave a slightly childish huff "Only if I have something to do." He grumbled, Sarah started to help him back upstairs once more, first day in his new life and he was spending it all day lying in bed…feeling all kinds of uncomfortable and dreaming some _very_ unwelcome dreams. He was soon laying back down, Sarah was stubbornly keeping him prisoner in this blanket cell while she went off to look for something he could read.

This room was very clean, though he got the feeling it was a while since anybody used it. At least, if what he knew about Sarah was correct. She was often investigating for her new article, she had friends but she started drifting from them a little, she had family but only her aunt really takes much notice of her.

He wouldn't let his Sarah Jane feel alone, even if she didn't know him in this strange parallel world.

When she came back he couldn't help but feel surprised, she seemed pick up a whole pile of them. Truthfully, he had never once visited her house so seeing her extensive collection of reading material is new. No wonder she loved the Tardis library so much, it must have been pretty amazing to have an entire universe of literature before her.

He wished he could show her once again.

He was feeling the slightest bit better from earlier, less tired though still incredibly weak and sore. He actually hoped he could entice her to talk to him, even just for a little bit. "So, what have you brought me?"

"I didn't know what you would like, however I decided to keep it safe with the ones I know _for sure_ are interesting." She answered, he gave her soft smile.

"I'll trust your intuition, Miss. Smith." His eyes lit up for just a moment as a thought passed through his mind "Oh! When I get better, how about I thank you somehow? You did save my life, after all." She had saved him a million times over, but he could never say that. She even looked the age where they first met, it was like they were starting all over from the beginning. "Let me treat you somehow, I can get a job and we could go out and do something. A little adventure by not planning, perhaps? Go and see where we end up?" The way he spoke was extremely enticing, for a moment he saw a glint of the Sarah he knew in her eyes, she was interested…she was definitely interested.

"So, you want us to do something with no plan at all?" She asked, a slight smile appeared on her face.

" _Exactly_." His eyes began to shine slightly, something they hadn't done in a while. Truthfully, he just wanted to take every advantage he had, and with her here…surely it couldn't be terrible.

"I'll take you up on that, _once you get better_." She responded, though trying to stay serious a part of her was truthfully a little excited over the idea.

"Once I get better…" He confirmed, suddenly he felt a little more comfortable and relaxed. A rather stupid smile appeared on his face, he was going on a small ordinary adventure, with _her._

And this time there were no Timelords forcing him to leave her behind.

Somehow, he had fallen asleep at some point. He was reading a rather interesting chapter of this science-fiction novel he had never heard of before and he found himself passing out. By the time he woke up, it was rather dark. He was thankful there was a digital clock in the darkness beside his bed, it was possible Sarah had placed that here for the sake of the visitor who might have needed to get up early.

1:30am…huh.

He then realized he already felt plenty better, still sore but no longer so weak. Truthfully, he wanted to at least stay here a little longer and perhaps get up at a normal human time. Maybe then he can take a shower and figure out what to do next with this…incredibly human life he was thrown with. He wasn't well enough for their little adventure yet, but at the very least he could make better conversation.

He heard a few movements in a nearby room, she couldn't be awake at this time, could she? Unless she was actually more of a night owl…which wouldn't surprise him. Even then it wasn't like he would have known for sure, with his memory he only truly known her habits in a spaceship, one where day and night become difficult to tell between nonetheless. This world seemed so normal he was worried he'd grow a little too bored, or at least have far too much time to think…which would lead to him dwelling on other unwelcome thoughts.

He managed to get out of bed, he was still a little wobbly but he didn't need to lean against the walls. It wasn't long until he approached a door he assumed was her room, at least from the fact the light was actually on. He paused before knocking, perhaps he should leave her alone; after all this version of her knew so little about him he wouldn't be surprised if she freaked out over him bothering her so much.

But, he wanted to make sure she was alright. He had a tendency to worry that was for sure.

His fist gently tapped against the wooden door "Are you alright in there…?" He asked, he heard what he gathered was slight surprised…he must have really seemed out of it earlier.

"Y-yes…!" She responded "I'm just a little busy. I thought I told you to stay in bed."

"Well, it's 1am and I've slept more than my fair share of hours, how about you? Have you even gone to bed yet?" He asked through the door "You know, your health is just as important too."

"It's what…?" She asked before what he heard what he could assume was her checking the time " _Shit."_ She clearly lost track of time.

"Go to bed, Sarah Jane." He called through "If I had to go to bed, you have to as well." He truthfully wanted to tease her a little, but he couldn't do anything that would make her uncomfortable. But all the same, he wanted to make sure she wasn't overworking herself. "Have you eaten yet?" He then went to ask, his usual maternal instincts rising up, it had been a while since he had the chance to worry about someone, or at least someone that wasn't facing Dalek gunfire. Normally, he'd have something on him to give her but…

Apparently, he hadn't done it in so long he didn't show up prepared.

"I did…hours ago, but that's because I should have been in bed _hours ago._ " She replied before he heard her stand up "We should really stop shouting through the door." She then mumbled before the door swung open before him, she did sure as hell _look_ exhausted the say the least. Her hair was a little messier, she looked at though she could drop off standing up if she let it.

Okay, his usual instincts have completely taken over now. "You look so tired…" He said gently "Come on now, get ready for bed alright? Sleep in a bit, I'm feeling far better now so I can make you breakfast tomorrow." His entire aura gave off an odd… _motherly_ feel. You'd think it would be fatherly, but the way he spoke was a little different.

"You're worrying too much…" She gave a slightly awkward smile, it was strange how the tables turned from her caring for him to him trying to care for her. "I'll just finish something and I'll get ready for bed, alright?"

"No." He simply stated.

" _No?_ " She asked in surprise to his objection.

"No." He repeated "It'll always be one last little thing, and next thing you know it's time to get up. So please, go to bed."

"I told you I'll be fine-:"

"No, bedtime, _now."_ He was almost strict about it "You've dealt with enough taking care of me today, work can wait. Get ready for bed, go to sleep and don't even _think_ worrying about whatever you're doing until tomorrow."

Sarah tried to face up to his stern glare but somehow, she was defeated. She was simply too tired to face off against James' strict maternal mode. "Fine…" She sighed "Now go, before I decide to change my mind."


	4. Chapter 4

The next day had surprised Sarah the most.

She had almost forgotten he was there by morning, so she was surprised to find him cooking for her when she woke up. Of course, she was told to stay in bed longer but she didn't feel right getting up so late. It was strange, she hadn't had someone fuss over her like this since she was a child. Now this man dropped from nowhere and it was like he was determined to make sure she was healthy in his eyes.

He was an excellent cook though, however he seemed to get distracted a little easily. She had to tap him on the shoulder when he was busy watching something outside, he had left the stove on and she worried he may have set her house alight with his good intentions. She also found that he seemed to know _exactly_ what her preferences were, right down to how she liked her coffee.

And yet, he'd forget his own tea until it got too cold to drink. She also found that he could repair almost anything that was broken in the house. She originally brought him in to take care of him while he was injured and weak but now, despite still not being 100% he decided to do all this work around her home. She tried to stop him, telling him he should perhaps sit down a little while when he felt dizzy, but no, he had already decided he was going to help her with something else.

She didn't need this much help, and honestly it left her pouting slightly when he scolded her for stressing herself out. The days after that he calmed down a bit, he wasn't as protective and he wasn't as fussy but he still seemed to worry. She knew at least, she could trust him alone in the house since after she came home she'd find he'd made sure to take care of everything.

She wondered what motivation he had to do such a thing, honestly.

He'd also ramble for hours if she let him, she'd ask him one question and he'd give her an entire novel about it. He told her she was clever and he knows it, and thus he believed it was right for him to tell her everything.

And yet, despite his optimistic appearance and the way he doted on her, there was always something behind his eyes. She couldn't entirely tell what it was, but when he looked at her sometimes it was almost like a part of his mind was still somewhere else. He then announced he was going to try and find something 'new', he said that if he's been banished then he may as well find something he was interested in since he was here.

It was then he became a freelance musician, oh he also played violin too…and nothing seemed ti make him happier than when he held the instrument. All the chaos and darkness behind his eyes seemed to vanish for a while when he played, she hoped at least he was on the way to some form of emotional recovery from…whatever it was that was tormenting him in quiet.

This was another thing, there was something he wasn't talking about.

She hated not knowing things, and the fact he avoided the topic at all costs frustrated her a bit. She knew she could only wait for him to open up, but she did hope they had become friends. Friendship meant she was starting to get attached to the bouncy man before her and thus she couldn't help feeling concerned.

She decided however, that he still owed her that day out where they had no particular plans.

He wasn't in the best condition still, but he was well enough now to be a paid musician so he became persistent.

"I can deal with a little walk, Sarah." He gave a half-smile. "Besides, I get the feeling you overwork yourself a bit-:"

"I don't, trust me." She interrupted, honestly though the amount of time she spends out there he does wonder what the hell she's working on. Whatever it was, she ends up staying up late over it all. When he tried to ask and show interest in her job, she seemed a little…avoidant. But what could he ask for, according to her he was a slightly unwell man who decided out of nowhere he was going to be a musician.

Honestly, he just felt bad living under her roof and not trying to contribute to it, no matter how boring normal human life seemed to be.

Her messenger bag always seemed quite full however, he wondered how many notes she would need. He was completely curious about this Sarah Jane, he wasn't used to her hiding things from him before. He was a little suspicious when she didn't mention his blood, but perhaps there was a chance she didn't have the chance to notice considering he could barely walk. Perhaps, there was a small part of him that hoped that even when he didn't exist in her life, somehow the strange alien world managed to touch her.

He almost laughed at himself at the thought, that she still somehow ended up doing all the things they did together. Investigating, chasing aliens that wanted to do harm and befriending the ones that wanted to do good. It was a nice little thought, though it made him wonder…

If he got arrested thanks to her last time, she wondered if she was hiding her suspicions and waiting for the right time. It was then he had no choice but to ask, even if she became confused.

"Have you ever heard of uhm…UNIT?" It was the first thing he thought of, he was looking for something else familiar. He spent so much time there in his third incarnation he couldn't help but to wonder if UNIT _still_ happened.

Her reaction was a slight flinch, but she didn't exactly turn to meet his gaze. He could feel his heart beat-:

Heart…where was the plural in that? He had spent so much time trying to get Sarah to trust him he never thought about changes to his body at all. This regeneration wasn't like the others after all, he himself already said he felt he was human of his mother's side. As far as he was aware, being away from the Timelord body he was given could have made biological changes that he didn't take note of. Of course, he hadn't even had a chance to see what he had and what he didn't.

If UNIT exists…he might have to see if they have become familiar with Gallifreyans yet.

"Oh…they're just some military group I think." She only responded after that long pause, she turned to him and played it all off with the most well-performed innocent smile he had ever seen "I tried to break into their base once, I _completely_ failed!"

Liar.

She wouldn't fail, no way she would have. He knows when she's determined to know something she would find a way. Not this woman, it might be nostalgia talking but he knew for sure she may have gotten in.

Did the Brigadier arrest her, slap her on the hand and told her not to return this time? But that would never stop her that was for sure, and right now…he wasn't someone who she would pour out every secret she had to and trust him not to tell anyone. But perhaps just this time, he could try and…pry just a bit, at the very least he could plant the seed that would cause her to say something.

"Not from what I hear, I thought it was right down your ally. Surely you don't believe the government would fund something this persistently for nothing?" He asked

"Unfortunately, it wasn't as interesting as I thought." She simply answered, half smile this time.

"Not as interesting? _Really?_ " He gave an over-exaugurated sigh, he had come up with the most...interesting idea. "I guess I should investigate it myself."

"And what need would you have for that?" She looked just a teeny bit panicked, perhaps he went a little too far. He now looks like that hit on the head had made him paranoid "I thought you weren't a journalist-:"

"I need a doctor from there, you see I don't like hospitals. I woke up in a morgue once which is an _interesting_ story I will tell you later but for now I have been feeling out of it for days, I'll feel more comfortable if say…I managed to see man called Dr. Sullivan?" He watched her face fall as he spoke, maybe he was pushing the truth a little too hard. These days however, he lacked the charm he often used to have.

He wondered if he could ever have that charm ever again, but a part of him was desperate to know the information he wasn't given when an old woman _stabbed him in the gut_. He hated pushing her, but he knew that she must at least have an idea whether he was alien or not by now.

"…You know Harry?" She asked narrowing her gaze, that was amazing now he didn't have to look 100% crazy. "He never mentioned you."

"Well, heard of him. I hear he can be an inbecile but he's pretty reliable when it comes to this sort of thing." He tried to sound softer, he hated how his post-war voice sounded. He took a deep breath to let her know that he wasn't intending to cause trouble "I can see you're hiding something, you don't have to go through all the details but you know the _only_ doctor I feel like speaking to right now. So _please_ , find a way for me to see him."

He saw her look a little surprised at how much he knew, then she sighed in resignation, seemed a little angry and maybe suspected he was prying into things behind her back, probably wondering right now if she left anything out in the open on accident. Then, finally she seemed to give in but a spark of her own idea shone in those eyes of hers.

Oh no, he's fallen into her trap.

"Only if you tell me where you're from." A smile appeared on her face, one that was a little proud of playing him right into her hands. "I mean, there is only one reason why you'd want Harry and no other doctor. Unless you're not from here."

So, she _did_ know about all of this! Ha! He knew that no version of Sarah Jane Smith wouldn't break into UNIT and _not_ get involved in their shenanigans. Did she _actually_ get employed by them though? No wait, later, later! Now he can finally relax and speak the truth!

"You're good, did I ever tell you that?" His face lit up "Gallifrey." He answered "Though I'm not full Gallifreyan, _I think_."

"You think?" She looked bemused "That helps."

"Well my memory isn't exactly amazing and…regeneration is tricky business. I could have become a living cactus; some human can't be all that bad." He shrugged, he was pretty sure he was correct however.

"Human?" She then asked, she looked as though she was trying to process this "You're half-human, _you think_? That's something I never imagined would happen, I thought your lot think of us humans as an inferior species."

Wait, so there has been another here? Then he got a sinking feeling…even if he never came or even exists there is another that possibly could.

"One of your own caused a lot of trouble for us, apparently he's a criminal on your planet. He used hypnotism on someone who worked here and she almost blew us up." She then continued, she sounded so…relieved. It was like she was becoming incredibly tired of lying about her whereabouts and who she was associated with. "Well good news, you can come with me!"

He felt her tug on his arm but he was still distracted by what she just said, he knew the man that would cause that. It appears even without their broken friendship; the Master was still determined to own the universe. Earth is considered a weak planet, perhaps he thought this place was a good start on his mission to win it all.

But the fact he hadn't succeeded was good to see, though from the sounds the Timelords already had gotten a little involved. Otherwise she wouldn't exactly know what they thought of them beyond the Master.

"The same old Master, then…" He sighed as he felt himself get pulled along, what a strange turn of events this is. In the past, he was pulling her along but now she was taking the lead between them. He wondered if he had accidentally signed himself up as her companion.

Now that would be a funny situation, he went from a world where everyone was following him all the way to following someone else.

Still, what could he do? He was in a world that could be different in ways he was yet to know of, sure there is a UNIT but what was their relationship with Gallifrey? The Timelords had the ability to move to different parallel universes when necessary and with _very_ minimal damage. No amount of technology could do it without breaking down the delicate glass-like walls that could fall apart and destroy every universe neighbouring it.

But they're gone now, and from the sounds this universe was yet to hear the news. Even if he wanted to at this moment he could never return without burning out suns and causing weather distortions. Being a separate identity from his other selves may also cause…issues.

Her car wasn't different either, from a glance this world was almost exactly alike. Again, he was just seemingly missing from the picture. Instead of him apparently it was the Master causing UNIT to be founded. Their attitudes towards his kind also seemed to be what many other races thought of them, stuck on their high-horses and overly-proud. What a lovely first-impression, he hoped he gave Sarah a chance to see they were not all like that. Even on such a planet, there were oddballs.

It was only when sitting in the passenger's seat he thought of Bessie, he hadn't driven a car in a long time…back in the day it was his only method of transportation when being exiled to this planet. Now he was exiled again, (or at least, it felt like it) he wondered he could get that exact same deal once again, that would be nice…

Nostalgia was huge factor the past few days, especially with an old companion he felt a large amount of guilt over. She didn't even know it, so he didn't even get the chance to apologize. Maybe the biggest apology he could give was to play the companion role for a while and give her a helping hand.

"Regeneration." Sarah suddenly spoke on their drive "I only heard the term once but they were very… _stingy_ on answering any questions about it." She clarified.

"You're asking how it works." The Doctor, or as he's called by her 'James' responded. He wondered if he'd ever get used to being called a different name… "It's far less complicated than they make it out as, when we die we have the ability to expand energy to create a completely new body. Along with that, it could also even create a psychological change it's still the same person but the personality can be tweaked a little bit."

"Have you regenerated?" She asked, he didn't answer for a moment. Though this was mostly because he was trying to remember the number.

"Eight times, I think. The memory of this body was never quite reliable you see." He answered, though sounding unsure he a pretty sure he was as correct as can be. "Though, I am incapable of that now so please, no matter how many times I leave the oven on _don't shoot me_." It was an attempt at a dark joke, though it may have just worried her a bit.

"There…is a limit?" She continued with the questions, though he gathered he may be drilled with a million of them when explaining things with her so he was a little prepared.

"12 lives normally, you could say I was cut short."

"How?"

"You could say a _lovely_ lady tore them from me." He smirked "I guess she got so bored, she had no choice but to play games with someone else's life." The bitterness in his tone was unmistakeable, but of course that would only peak Sarah's curiosity further in the matter. No wonder she still got involved with investigating aliens, she had this tendency to persistently ask questions and on occasion she accidentally strikes a nerve with her need to keep digging. But this time though, he had this need to be a little bit salty on the matter "Some stab your back, others stab you in the gut with _complete eye contact._ "

"This woman an ex of yours?" Sarah asked almost sarcastically.

" _God no_ , I'm not into ladies with knives or any other pointy objects." He replied with a slight grin at her joke "So messy."

"I'm sorry about what happened." She then said a little more seriously, the only response he could give was a light nod.

"Well you know…" He almost mentioned he wondered if he even wanted to keep living, it was part of the reason why he was so angry with the woman after all but he decided against it for now "At least it didn't turn out as horrible as I thought." He wasn't lying about that at least, he hoped she could feel that from him.

When Sarah stopped the car, they were a bit more silent than normal. He originally planned to drag her away from work this morning but now it was more like she dragged _him_ to work with her. Ah well, at least he'll get answers earlier than he originally expected.

She was so calm about all of this though, how many encounters did she have so far? How long was she associated with UNIT _exactly_? It was clear she suspected him, it might have been part of the reason why she kept him in arm's reach. If he was planning on causing trouble she'd have gotten in the way more than enough times.

He didn't imagine the Brigadier would be happy she didn't bring him straight there though.

The base looked exactly as he remembered, right down to the familiar faces that made their way there, and of course a few unfamiliar ones he assumed the threads of time lead there in order to keep things on the right track. Though he had to admit, this version seemed a bit more…intimidating.

It might be the extra weapons, or perhaps the fact that they clearly were built from the ideals of keeping people like the Master off their planet. It didn't help that he was technically Gallifreyan even if there is enough human in him to perhaps…gain a teeny inch of trust? Either way Sarah's approval of him not being a pompous old man sitting at the High Council would definitely come in handy here.

She stopped him at the med bay entrance however, she seemed to take a deep breath. He could see the guilt over keeping him a secret for a while, it was clear that she wanted to wait for a good reason. Perhaps she didn't want anyone to jump to conclusions or get a little paranoid.

"Let me speak first." She wasn't suggesting, from the look of her eyes it was practically an order "I didn't even need a week to learn you have a bad habit of running your mouth." It was only when she gained a confirmation through another silent nod she opened the doors. At the very least there were few casualties today, however it was wonderful to see another familiar face that was a sight for sore eyes.

"Haven't seen you in a few days old girl, worried you ended up upsetting another one of those Zygons again." Harry smirked with his eyes still on his charts, pretty impressive that he could sense her from afar-:

"Oh, piss off." Sarah's language in this particular world was to be…desired. Though he cannot open his mouth about her cursing right now "Anyway, I brought you a visitor _from Gallifrey_. And before you say anything no, he's not come to kill us, take us over or confiscate anything. I just need you to examine him a bit he's been rather unwell since he got here."

"Does the Brig know about this?" Harry asked as he replaced the charts with other medical objects "Gallifreyans are rare but strolling on in here with him is kind of gutsy of you, isn't it?"

"Oh, not at all." She replied "Despite me grievances over you _still_ calling me that I am thankful you put up with this for so long…so thanks."

Harry immediately approached James "No problem, but he isn't exactly a tyrant just concerned that you're putting yourself at unnecessary risk. Now, mind if I check your hearts?"

"Uhm…" James looked at Sarah for permission to speak, she gave a gesture with her hand indicating it was fine, her short exchange was apparently enough to keep things in order "Actually, I'm not sure if I have _two_."

"Whatever do you mean, old chap?" Harry looked a little confused "From the little that we know, two hearts is a signature trait."

"Actually, I played the regeneration lottery and managed to get myself a body with human traits. And I'm sort of an independent entity right now, _and_ I have no idea what my anatomy is now. All I know is that it's annoyingly more fatigued." He tried to explain it as best he could, but the expression on Harry's face was that of a man who knew he was in for a long morning.

"Will you ever give me a patient with a straight forward issue? Perhaps just a broken bone, a slight cold, even just a _papercut_ would have been fine." He asked Sarah who took to stading behind James to gently place a hand on his shoulder as though to reassure him.

"Well, you're the only one who I can trust so…" She shrugged, Harry took that as a slight compliment thankfully he did give a smile in response "But if you want next time someone falls in front of my home, and they're _completely_ human and just have a scraped knee I'll come your way~"


	5. Chapter 5

"Core temperature is still lower than the average human, you have a heart missing however it is still clearly non-human. Your blood type is still unidentifiable but your body seems a bit as the kids say: ' _Out of whack'_ from whatever trauma it was put through. It doesn't help that whatever strength you had before may have been cut down." His voice was clearly slightly tired from the hours of tests he had to go through with, at that without any of the higher-ups knowing "It appears you're not missing everything, but my theory is you're having a bit of trouble adjusting to having a heart missing. I can't pinpoint exactly unless I run a few more physical tests but…I believe I should give you a break from my poking and prodding."

"So otherwise, everything fine as far as you can see?" James asked, truthfully relieved they're going to stop for now. He wanted to know, but he also spent at least 80% of the time easily distracted.

"So far, you're coming up as normal as you can be, considering." He answered, seeming satisfied that he was healthy for the most part "What the hell happened to you though? You look as though you went through a warzone."

Well he wasn't wrong, however he didn't want to speak of it. He gave a weak 'ha…' before turning to look at Sarah who was now looking like she was made to sit there all morning. However, she refused to leave him alone in case he was made uncomfortable or they were found. She was probably willing to take the fall for Harry if that was the case, after all she was reasonable enough to realize what trouble she could be putting him in.

"Thank you." James softly said before getting up from his seat "Well, I was never quite one for sticking to the rules." He then added with a slightly saddened smile, the comment seemed to have thrown him in a bit of an odd mood. He definitely wasn't ready yet to joke about that part, which was strange considering he joked earlier about being stabbed.

"Not a problem old bean just take it easy, will you? No letting Sarah drag you on one of her misadventures." He warned gesturing towards Sarah who rolled her eyes.

"It's not as if I'm planning to drag him into danger." She said finally standing up, she felt as though her muscles had fallen a little to sleep however.

"Perhaps you should tell the Brig, soon." Harry then turned to her "Like I said, he isn't out to get you. He's only thinking of your wellbeing when he gives you a hard time."

"And he needs to remember that I can take care of _myself_." She seemed a little agitated at the thought, James was again reminded that this Sarah seemed so similar but it was these things that made her seem so different. But of course, she had different experiences and trails to go through which would have changed her ever so slightly.

He honestly hoped she wasn't more reckless here.

He did wonder how they could walk out so casually without anyone asking, then again, he didn't look like anything but human from the outside perspective. On this planet at least, it was a clear advantage.

Sarah however, was already stressing out over telling the Brigadier she was keeping him secret from him. Perhaps she was worried over an initial overreaction but with Harry to confirm he hasn't at least tried to abuse any telepathy _yet._ He couldn't put a finger on it, but when she convinced him to go straight home he was pretty sure there was something bothering her from the look in her eyes. There was something he did want to change this time around, he was going to try and a be a bit better on the emotional side of things. Back in the day he was younger, even more alien and a bit less skilled at reading when she seemed upset. This time, he could read it like a book and it wasn't just because he knew her body language a bit better than others. He wasn't exactly planning on letting her struggle with her own thoughts on her own.

When they came home he decided to approach her on the issue, though he admitted he felt a nervousness he didn't feel about it before. Perhaps it had been too long…

"You seem anxious." He commented trying to give her his usual Doctor-y charm he currently was a bit rusty at "What's on your mind?"

"I'm not anxious-:"

"Don't deny it, I can see it on you face." He interrupted "The Brigadier can't be that bad, I'm sure if you explained the situation he would understand."

She took a deep breath, he confuses her that's for sure. His hand moved almost as though he was going to pet her head almost as though it was being done subconsciously, he then pulled back before he made the mistake of making it awkward. He then looked at her with a sense of familiarity that bothered her since she found him, he was almost hard _not_ to open up to with how gentle he could be with her.

But there was this stubborn part of her that was a little afraid to do so, and thus she lost control over her own mouth for a moment.

"Funny, you also do that." She spoked, he looked a little confused for a moment.

"Do what?" He asked, he did allow himself to place a hand on her arm, however.

"Deny it." She answered "Come on, you didn't think I looked at your injuries and brushed off the idea you're messed up too." She gave him a weak smile, alright…she got him there.

His hand was slightly colder than the average human, she knew she was looking at an alien…she didn't exactly brush off the colour of his blood either after all. Despite this, she found him incredibly welcoming. He was clinging physically, but it was oddly comfortable for the situation. It only when she was that focused on him he responded.

"Yeah, I'm a wreak." He admitted, he never thought of himself doing so but he no longer had the emotional strength to exactly hold it all back himself "But that's why I'm likely to understand, look if you're honest with me I'll share with you too. Make it fair?"

She hesitated, she felt suddenly a little less tense. She couldn't help but break eye contact for a moment "I'm already in a lot of trouble, I just didn't want you to think you'd be the cause of me getting swiftly fired." She the confessed "Putting me on leave won't make things magically better and it won't change what happened. If I'm fired, it's because I've been ignoring orders for weeks now. Not you."

"What happened?" he then asked before pulling her along to sit down.

"I messed up, that's all. I made a bad call and people payed the price for it." She responded, though it seemed to was avoiding any hide details "I made the wrong decision and people died, there is nothing else needed to be said. Now they all think I'm emotionally fragile, Harry is the only one not speaking to me like I'll break down at any second. What about you?"

He took in what she had said, she shouldn't even be working on anything right now then. No wonder she didn't want to say anything to the Brigadier, she could end up in worse trouble with him.

He leaned back in his seat, he took a deep breath and allowed himself to at least give her the gist like she did for him.

"I was part of the first great Time War, I didn't want any part of it and I was prepared to die. Now I'm here after being stabbed in the gut for a so-called 'favour'. The news will never reach here, so UNIT will never figure out that Gallifrey is gone…at least until you realize there is no one left." He explained it the only way he knew he could, at least without seeming like he's throwing too much onto her at once.

"I'm sorry." It was almost a whisper "I didn't know."

"No, it's fine. It was for the best." He said the words he told himself every night since then, that it was for the best…he had no other choice. Of course, he'll talk more about Gallifrey later… _much later._ "The Timelords aren't exactly fans of mine though, so either way even if they survived I still wouldn't have anywhere to go. It's just become quite… _permanent._ "

"You do have somewhere to go though." She then commented, leaning back herself "You have here."

Here, she was right he did have here. Here at least, wasn't the worst place to be abandoned in "And you…" He then spoke, he had _her_ as well, he could say he also had Harry but…nah he would never admit that. For his own mental state he decided to change the topic a bit, there was still a lecture building up that he needed to give her from his own experience "You might not want to hear this, but you might have to slow down. You may not feel it now, but the weight of your burdens will only build up. Sure, some leave won't make what happened disappear, but it's okay to let yourself be sad for a while. You're not alone either, Harry cares, _I care…"_

She was now looking at him in slight surprise, she tried to push the topic onto him but…he switched it right to her at the first chance he got. He was easily distracted on everything else but this apparently. "Well, I can't allow myself to stagnate either-:" She let out a sudden gasp as she was pulled into a hug. It was tighter than expected.

"You won't stagnate, for now you're only just pressing pause and allowing yourself to gain some respite." He was much taller last time he held her, now she seemed of a similar size to him, maybe even almost the same height if she wasn't a few inches shorter. And yet despite how he was smaller than before, the hug still felt the same "Thank you for defying orders for my sake, but please…try not to overwhelm yourself. You'll hit that point faster than you'll realize."

Her head felt comfortable against him. At first, she felt tense from suddenly being grabbed…now she had relaxed once more on him. "I know James isn't your real name…I'm curious, what it is if I may ask?" She said against his shirt, perhaps she was trying to distract him once again but it was mostly to distract herself from the sudden amount of physical contact she had been given lately. She sure as hell wasn't expecting a hug that was this affectionate.

"I have a couple of them, James is new." He began to answer "The name I chose at the time was the Doctor, but I'm not even sure if that is who I am anymore. Before that, they used to call me Theta Sigma. I don't mind what you call me though, I prefer a name I chose over my birth name after all."

"Hmm…" She mumbled, she was suddenly a little too comfortable "Is Jamie fine? It suits your face." She now had a slight grin, she was hoping to perhaps lighten his mood a little.

"Oh?" He honestly never thought about what names suited his face, he really just chose a random two from people he knew "If you think so, I'll be alright with that." He had finally pulled away, she didn't want to admit it but Sarah was slightly disappointed.

She gave a slight nod in response to his comment, she was honestly joking a little but somehow thinking about it…it _really_ suited him somehow. She was tempted to take his comment to heart and just go with it from now on. "You alright there?" He then asked while she was a little lost in her own thoughts "Was I a bit too touchy-feely there? I should have asked…"

"N-no! It's fine, I'm just a little tired." She responded as quickly as she could, she was worried he going to give that sad puppy-like expression of guilt he had whenever he thought he messed up. "We were at base all morning, after all."

It was only then he finally placed a hand on her head, there was somehow a moment of familiarity in that too. "Brave heart, Sarah." He then gently spoke "Though I'm not sure if you even need me to say that."

She was surprised at how dazed that moment made her, he had a charm that was for sure. As much as she hated to let someone change her mind, for now she decided to do what he had asked. She begrudgingly allowed herself to take a break beyond taking care of an injured alien that looked and seemed so human, it actually still surprises here when he did a few little habits that clearly showed he was not. Such as the fact he could fix literally anything, as well as take apart anything and make it something far more advanced out of sheer boredom.

She made a call to Harry, perhaps he could update her on what he found (and whether or not he was caught), she told herself to only call over this matter. She believed that making a new friend who she truthfully wanted to help alien or not, was a fine excuse to call back to base and do whatever was necessary. With some luck, he had answered the other end of the line…he's not being lectured right now at least.

He had given the gist of everything that he knew, apparently because there was so little information of Gallfreyan physiology he managed to reach as far as he could without having to notify someone else to find more than they already had. Wonderful, looks like they were just going to find everything out with experience.

Ah, yes…and obviously the Brigadier knew she showed up and asked pretty quickly. Harry played it off as just her visiting, he couldn't really expect her to not want to socialize at least a little bit. He still told Sarah to be honest, that perhaps although at first angry he could actually help a little bit. She basically responded that James was no way anything to worry about and left it at that. She will tell him, when she isn't suffering from the anxiety of the idea.

" _Honestly, it sounds like you've grown a little affectionate towards the man."_ Harry then spoke in order to change the topic to something more pleasant…well something that was better and possibly less anxiety inducing but still something that her groan a little _"Not that I'm objecting, I think it's rather good for you to have a friend you see outside of work. Even if he's an alien."_

"I guess it has been a while since I had any sense of a friendship like this." She admitted before she heard some sounds from downstairs, he was probably trying to 'upgrade' her TV again. She didn't often watch it, but he kept telling her he could tap into intergalactic channels if he had the right parts. He really did get bored fast. "Jamie doesn't feel alien…much. Honestly it feels more like I'm supervising a puppy, except instead of chewing apart wires he rearranges them and makes the microwave heat things 30 minutes faster…at least before it caught on fire."

" _Well, he seems intent on taking care of you._ " She could hear the slight laugh down the phone _"And…Jamie?"_

He seemed a little amused by her little nickname for him, over the phone at least she couldn't see his face "I don't need taking care of he's just… _very_ easily bored." She responded "And what about it?"

" _Oh nothing, nothing…it's rather sweet that you're giving him a nickname old girl. You almost seem a little infatuated. Looks like his looks of adoration haven't gone to waste."_ He was giving her a teasing tone, she wasn't exactly in the mood to be teased by Harry of all people…though he was the only one who was willing to without even fearing her reactions. Though there was a comment she had to ask about.

"Looks of adoration? Are you sure it isn't just the puppy-like stare he has on a constant basis?" She shook her head slightly even though he couldn't see "That's just his face. And I'm not _old girl_ …I'm only 25-:"

" _You mean the face he gives you?"_ He responded fast before started on her rant over what he just called her

"Oh, shut up…now you're just digging. If you want to see adoration, look at the way Yates looks at Benton." She said as she heard another noise, now she should go…she shouldn't exactly leave him unattended for too long "Now I have to go, I have a half-Gallifreyan to babysit."

" _Good luck, try not to burn yourself out._

She put down the phone, she didn't want to start another argument on whether she was burning herself out or not. She already had the conversation at least 5 times this month.

And lately, she hasn't been in the mood to argue around in circles.


	6. Chapter 6

The Doctor wanted some sort of excitement, that perhaps UNIT was a key to that excitement and perhaps he could feel like the Doctor once more. He had not tried to help people and succeeded in so long, he wondered if he had become an old concept that had faded with time itself. He thought that dying was for the best, anything he wanted was impossible and anything he didn't was within arm's reach.

James actually felt a way to become needed here, if he was to no longer be part of the lonely God he hoped at least he could become something different in this world. If he had no other choice, he could make the best of it. It was like the name contained an age-old level of positivity he had lost track of a long time ago. The two parts of him argued and fought on whether or not he was making the right choice by just…accepting this situation.

Both sides of him cared enough about Sarah to at least stay, one side of him wanted to attach to a relationship that may never happen the other said ' _you became a monster, look at yourself. Look at the blood on your hands, for goodness sake…you don't even deserve this life never mind being given a second chance, never mind deserving her._ ' He hated the quiet, so he started messing with everything in the house. He started fixing things, upgrading things and failing terribly in order to keep away his loud, obnoxious thoughts. It was a conflict that most humans had, very angst-ridden and it rather reminded him of being younger.

Of course, this was also why he felt so angry, it was like that woman was planning on torturing him with unresolved feelings and seeing everything he can't have. And knowing he's going to live and die on an Earth that felt just a little bit too peaceful. There were aliens but…it wasn't nearly as frequent and it was ultimately more boring for the part of him that is the Doctor.

He wanted to die, he wanted to live, he wanted to at the very least have some sort of control over something… _anything_. He spent more than enough time with next to no control thanks to that _horrific war_. He was frustrated, he didn't want to scare Sarah off with his built-up rage that had already almost reached its peak.

"Jamie…?" He heard a voice call out, and it was silent. He was now finally focused on here and now.

"Yes?" He called out "I'm just in the kitchen your stove is so primitive…you could use something _far_ more reliable." He turned when he heard her step towards the door, he was trying to give a smile.

"Thanks, but I think the microwave was enough." She replied "If we have firefighters here two days in a row they'll suspect you're an arsonist…"

"Maybe I am!" He sarcastically "As far as you're aware you let a space criminal in your home, which reminds me…" He stood up to look directly into her eyes "Why _did_ you do that?"

"Uhm…" She froze for a moment, she hadn't thought about that little fact for a while. She _did_ just let him live there, even if she was trying to trap him into admitting his race that was risky even for her. He could have found her identity, could have pinpointed her location to anybody he worked with, she could have even been killed _in her sleep_.

Yet she defied all the usual safety methods she had.

"You're in interesting one, Sarah Jane." He examined her at a quick glance "But with how careful I have seen you, that is not the norm from you. Your expression says it all."

He wished he had his sonic screwdriver, he could have made a quick scan of her. Oh! His old coat…it was a bit wrecked and he left it somewhere in his current room but…he hadn't checked the pockets in a good while due to being so confused, unwell and disoriented as well and self-loathing.

"Wait here, I need to make a quick check of you-:"

"Wait!" She grabbed his arm before he ran off upstairs to get his… _very_ well-missed device. "What's going on?"

"I have no idea." He answered, deciding he may as well drag her along too, she was disorientated now so may as well drag her into his circle of confusion like the good ol' days. "But, I believe there is no such thing as a coincidence. There has to be a reason I landed with you, and there _has_ to be a reason why you trusted me enough to sleep under the same roof."

"Is this that telepathy thing again?" Sarah asked finding herself being pulled up the stairs, she winced "Please try not to be too hard on my arm…"

"Sorry." He quickly replied to her complaint by lightening his grip slightly. "And I'm thinking possibly, they might have been slick enough to mess with your head."

And that made him burn with fury, he tried not to let Sarah know but…it was one of the angriest moments he had to deal with so far. Her trust was lie, if he broke it she may decide not to trust him at all. All of this was a cute little game made by someone _very_ bored with too much technology and power.

But the tiny spark of optimism made him hope that she wasn't just hypnotized into liking him.

When he got to his room which was already a little cluttered with books, he dug around and searched for his coat. Sarah rubbed her left arm as though it was sore, which was strange because he was sure he didn't grip nearly that hard. "Are you alright?" He asked as he found the torn piece of clothing and dug into its pockets. He had pulled out a yo-yo, some string and even a cricket ball.

"Yeah, I just got injured last week. You know…before I was put on leave." She answered "You didn't know, don't worry. It doesn't hurt nearly as much as before. I always wear long sleeves so I won't be asked questions by friends or family." That was, if they ever saw her. "It was just a burn of sorts."

He froze for a moment as an idea came to mind, but no…that was impossible. Injuries happen with such things all the time, it was possible she got burnt somewhere.

But he said to himself before that coincidences don't tend to exist.

He took out his sonic and did a quick scan, he wasn't going to tell himself anything until he had all the evidence first. "You seem healthy, you could sleep a little more but that's something I'll scold you over later. A bit of a strange signal coming from that injury of yours however."

He took her arm and quickly rolled up her sleeve, it was bandaged up of course which only made this reveal more tense for him. "May I?" He asked.

She gave a quick nod "Needed to change them anyway."

He gently started to undo the bandages, careful as to not accidentally hurt her. It felt like every second was another eternity. When he saw what was underneath, he knew exactly what to compare it too.

"Sarah Jane, where did you get that?" He asked as he observed the scar-like burn on her skin. It still looked red, but it was a little recent.

"While I was…you know. Someone tried to stop me from entering the UNIT archives that night." She began to explain "And to be fair to them, with the kind of choice I was about to be given anyone would want to attempt to stab me with a burning knife. It's nothing though, I didn't show you because I knew you'd worry."

"It's _not_ nothing. It can't just be coincidence." He was breathing a little harder, the anxiety was kicking in "If she could play with my life, she could play with the lives of others. Sarah…I'm sorry for what I'm about to do."

His hands raised and approached her head "What are you doing? No, you can't… _you can't_ -:"

She was silence by his sudden connection. It was as easy as before, it was like her mind was always abnormally easy to latch onto. He hated how easy it was. He hated doing this so suddenly, especially knowing that it upset her every time.

Her mind was untouched, it was clean…everything was done on her own free-will. Thank God.

For a moment however, he accidentally saw something he didn't intend to. Hands being on a red button, the hesitation and wondering if it was for the best. Pressing it, the explosion and realizing that it was probably a mistake. It was too close to home, too close far too close it had to stop, she couldn't make the same mistake as him, no matter the scale it was a mistake _it was mistake_ _ **it was a mistake.**_

He snapped away from her letting her mind go, she was dazed for a while as she woke up, then she was suddenly aware of what just happened.

"What the _hell_ was that!?" Her voice raised "I didn't give you permission to get inside my head!"

"I had to do it!" He argued back "If any kindness you had for me was a lie, you would be far worse off trust me!"

"You could have asked!" She retaliated "You think you can just jump into my head when you want!? Just like a Timelord…we're so inferior that you can jump into our heads whenever you want!" She looked…so scared. What came out of her mouth was bitter rage but her expression showed a level a fear he rarely saw from her.

"It wasn't like that!" He desperately argued "It was the only way I know if you were being manipulated, perhaps I shouldn't have done so without permission and _I'm sorry_ …but I need you to understand that if anyone was in there forcing you to like me they were planning to hurt us both." She shook her head, she now looked almost on the verge of tears.

"I need to be alone." She repeated, heading towards the door. "I need to be alone…"

He wanted to follow her, but he couldn't. Doing so may have to react far worse than just before, she needed to be alone but he couldn't let this issue stay either.

He really did lose the sense to think about such things, was he even the kind, childish silly Timelord anymore? Had he become _this?_ The man that would jump into Sarah Jane Smith's head and have her accidentally re-live a trauma and worse, be the person who cased it.

He had no real answers, and a memory that isn't his own running through his mind, and has shaken someone who was herself, in a sense traumatized. And he went ahead and let her go through someone just jumping in her head without permission like that. He felt like the monster he had been calling himself moments before.

He found himself stuck in that spot for a while.

Sarah had stumbled in her room, it had been a while since she was that terrified. She refused to cry over it all again, but that didn't stop the burning sensation in her eyes. She was angry, but as her mind started to calm she understood his best interests. She wanted to make a few ground rules…yeah, he's alien and his kind use telepathy all the time.

She won't have to experience that again and she would make sure of it.

She would tell him not to get into her head unless he absolutely had no choice…yes everything will be fine now. Just breathe, she had to breath.

She had sat on her bed with the images still shooting through her head, it already took her a long time to be able to even mention the basic details but now? She didn't even want to see herself making such a decision ever again. And yet, she still stuck with UNIT…she couldn't help but laugh at herself for her ability to make the _best_ choices in her life. Now she had blood on her hands, co-workers now believing that perhaps she should be seeing the base therapist (like that would help) and possibly losing her job because she kept a half Gallifreyan man in her house.

She was a mess.

Half-an-hour of cooling off later she heard a gentle knock at door. She had to speak to him at some point, she really had matured thanks to her trauma however…she wasn't going to act angry forever and just wanted him to never do that ever again without her letting him first. Or at the very least, allow her to block out nasty images before he played them out in her head on accident.

"Sarah…" He called in gently, she stayed silent for a moment "Sarah, I shouldn't have jumped in your head without warning. It was cruel of me." He then went on despite the lack of answer "I should have told you first, I let my own emotions overcome me. I guess I really do have human in me to allow such things to surface."

She approached the door and slowly opened it, she looked tired and she didn't have the energy to go hiding it right now.

"So, you understand?" She asked "Promise me you won't do that again without telling me." She still held onto the door, he could see the fear there.

"I promise." He kept his voice as soft as he could "To make up for it, may I ask permission to do something else?" He then asked, keeping up with his word "Your mind is easy to penetrate, I can block it off with a psychic shield so nothing else can break in. When you're ready for it _if_ you're ready…I can create one and keep you safe."

She hesitated, but eventually let go of the door "Can it wait…?"

"It's fine." He answered "You're in control of the situation, whatever you say is what I'll do." He resisted touching her face, just in case and touch lifted his hand to reach her arm. She seemed to accept it. He couldn't risk scaring her off once again, she was probably still sore from him seeing things he shouldn't have even seen for himself.

As curious as he may be of the details, he shouldn't be prying any further without her being ready tp speak of it. If ever.

Harry had been wracking his brain over all these tests results he got from the strange Timelord, it was all very different from the little they gathered from the few answers they got when handing over their prisoner. He couldn't say he was a genius, but he was pretty damn convinced of the human features this 'James' claimed he had. Honestly, it only made things more complicated to figure out since some parts of him were familiar to what he learned in medical school, and others were things he had to improvise from the UNIT database.

Getting an office was _almost_ a fair price for his daily effort to figure these things out, he believed he had done well at adapting to such a job if he said so himself. Sarah Jane requesting his help did do wonders for his skills, and of course despite the way she acts like they were merely co-workers, he did somewhat consider her a friend. He believed they had good conversations, and they were comfortable enough to even joke around about things that other people would be insulted over. However, she did keep a distance between them that was incredibly difficult to ignore. It was enough for others to feel a little wary on talking to her themselves.

Especially after that incident, he'd dare say that it even made her more aloof.

He had hope however, she would be a little healthier on the matter now. She's actually talking to someone out of the workplace which was nice…even if it was the alien living in her spare room. The old girl needed some sort of life outside of aliens, which made him think for a moment that it sort of contradicted his earlier statement. This _did_ involve an alien even if he looked perfectly human.

He looked at the X-ray again, one heart…but it still looked so alien he could never be taken to a normal human hospital. He was human-ish, but not _nearly_ enough for them not to try and dissect him. He was going to have to live and _extremely_ quiet life and call a military base if he had any medical concerns.

It was when he started writing again the door to his office door opened. He looked up for a second…and nearly dropped his pen.

"I hear Miss. Smith managed to get on base, Dr. Sullivan." The Brigadier's voice was as unmistakable as the moustache Sarah made the occasional joke about. "I hope she wasn't doing what I think she was doing."

"It was nothing, sir." Harry very quickly closed the file before him. Last thing he needed was him _peeking_. "She just had someone who was a bit phobic of hospitals, I had some spare time so I did a favour. She asked a few things but I told the old girl she should be resting. I honestly believe she brought him here on purpose to ask." He played off such lies well, he managed to somehow keep perfect composure.

"Strange, I didn't think she knew anyone that required your medical care specifically." He raised an eyebrow "You're honestly a bit too soft, you should have turned her away."

"So are _you_." Harry responded quite bluntly "You're just as worried as the rest of us."

He didn't reply however, it was almost as though he had decided to brush the comment off. "That incident effected all of us, especially the person who made the decision and pressed the button. It could have been _any_ _one of us_ standing there that day."

"But she was the only one who wanted to solve the mystery as much as she did. None of us asked what she was doing when everything went to hell didn't we?" Harry asked, admitting to his own guilt on the matter "None of us listened hard enough, so you and I both know she took responsibility."

An uncomfortable silence filled the air on the topic, she was almost a different person after all was said and done. They both already owed up to their mistakes as she guilts herself over her own mistake every single day. However even though _she_ calls it a mistake, others had different opinions. Some people even congratulated her which did not sit well with Sarah in the slightest, in fact she actually began lashing out. It probably felt worse than facing the people who disagreed.

The Brigadier believes the former, that she made the right decision. There was no time, and Earth was on the line. She had to kill them, there was no way they could have come up with a solution in time. It however, hit her badly when she was told she would have made a good recruit for UNIT instead of just the occasional undercover journalist. She didn't say it, but it was clear she didn't want to seem like she thought of guns and weapons as the only solution.

"Let's agree that there was no right answer then, shall we?" Harry suggested, reading his face.

The 'UNIT family' as they called it was almost literally that, and thus Harry could make such comments to his own boss without often facing trouble for it. The Brigadier could take being called out after this long, and he can take the slight scolding over his own contribution to the problem. Perhaps he should have ordered everyone to shut up about the topic and move on.

"Yes, of course." The Brigadier leaned over and looked at the name on the folder "That the man she brought in? _Chesterton…_ haven't heard that one in a while. A grandson of his?"

"I figured." Harry responded "I mean, they haven't aged since the sixties. It's possible she brought him in here in case whatever they did showed in any medical tests. She didn't need to say phobia, though it was true…and he _fussed_ when things became a little too hospital-y for him."

"Still, it's strange such a coincidence would occur. I'd like Miss. Smith to part with me some details." He headed towards the door.

"And I hope she will part with them, _soon._ "


	7. Chapter 7

"So, you never figured out how you ended up here, then?" Sarah asked the question like nothing had happened earlier, of course he had a similar coping method so he couldn't really blame her for it. She was jumping right into the mystery over what had happened to him before he came into this world.

"Not at all, I'm getting rather tired of being left in the dark…that isn't _normal_ for me. Usually it's more exciting than being you know, _human_." James responded as he stared at the ceiling. This was one of the _only_ times he had no idea what to do next.

"Oh, thanks!" Sarah rolled her eyes at his comment "But really though, what were you expecting? Our lives are not 100% aliens and warfare. There are times where things are actually _kind of_ normal for me."

He turned his gaze towards the woman sitting beside him, he didn't notice she was reading. "I never asked what year it was…"

She looked up from the pages just to stare at him for a moment, she was in disbelief. "You've been here for how long? And you can't place the year?"

"I have an idea of what day it is…?" He asked looking at her expression "I know it's probably somewhere in the 1980s, am I correct?"

"1975…" She corrected, James suddenly felt more confused than he did before as he took note of the technology in the house (apart from anything alien, of course). "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry but…it feels _very_ 80s here. You're at least _ten years_ ahead." He stood up and looked at her shelf "At least where I'm from, you shouldn't be this advanced."

Everything here felt so strange, but he couldn't say wrong. It wasn't new that a different universe could be ahead of the time some others did, but it still felt strange. He really knew _nothing_ , all is dates could be messed up not just on Earth but on _other planets._ It was like the universe had become something he had never seen before.

And he had to admit to himself, that was just a _little bit_ exciting. An Earth he cannot completely predict, he had _so many more_ questions now. "What are the latest events here?" He asked, making himself look as though he had lived further into a cave on that planet he chose to die on. Sarah seemed to go through her head to find something relevant.

"The new Prime Minister has decided to strange UNIT further in private, they're claiming 'military regulations' in public but it's really just us." She answered as she kept thinking back "A spaceship washed up off the shore of Scotland, we had to race Torchwood to get there first. Though their public story was something along the lines of…well it was _our fault_."

"You lot chase the problem and yet you all get the blame, sounds unappreciative." He replied before realizing the themes of these topics "I'm guess you mostly focus on the alien thing then."

"If we don't take it, they start bitching. And yeah, unfortunately that drowns out most of my normal days." She replied with a slight shrug.

"I thought you said things get _kind of_ normal for you." He commented, admittedly with some slight concern "Sounds like you're working even when you claim you're not."

It wasn't as if she was given much of a choice, even on leave she was noticing all the excuses and little lies that built up every day. Especially now when she was part of them. She gave a slightly tired sigh before trying to force a smile "I said _kind of._ Besides, it's sort of my job to write some of them."

He then remembered there were a few things he never asked, such as where her aunt was and if she had anybody else. Though the answer was fairly obvious, not once did she get seem to get a call from someone who wasn't from UNIT. She did mention distant friends in passing, though from her tone he could guess that she felt as though they _truly_ were completely distant.

She was living in a different world to them, she could no longer relate to the people she once knew. That was the problem with getting into this sort of career, it changes you and you're no longer the person they considered a friend. Sarah was aware, she was _completely_ and _painfully_ aware of this fact. He wondered what she went through on the rare occasion she spoke to them, how she had to keep up the lies she had written and published while trying to seem like her old-self.

What she saw, that definitely would change a person. And she couldn't even explain why her work put her on leave or why she seemed so _tired._

So not meeting him would have made a difference, this world showed that. In fact, it also showed what he left behind, someone who knew and saw things that others didn't…

 _And she didn't have many people outside of work to speak to about it._

"Are you alright?" Her voice spoke through his trance, now his guilt was building up more than he could control. Looking directly at her he could see she was tired, she had depression, she had to do something terrible in order to protect her planet. And yet she was still smiling at him, making sarcastic jokes like it didn't actually bother her as much as it actually did.

"I'm fine…" He replied a little late, perhaps it was to relieve some guilt or he simply read behind her mask; but he pulled her into a hug. "Now what did I tell you about sleeping? Hmmm?" He asked in a playfully scolding tone. "I hope you weren't writing too late again, you're supposed to be taking a break from this."

Sarah gasped in a slight shock, he was very sudden with his affection. She had almost gotten a little used to it, if it weren't for the sudden topic changes. "I don't need you to take care of me, I'm fine…!" She responded within his arms.

"Then please…" His voice suddenly went a little softer than earlier "Please, rest." While she couldn't see his face, he let go of the expression he was trying to show her. The guilt, the sadness, his own level of tired. What he didn't expect was for her to pull back so early and come into full view of it.

He blinked before quickly looking away, but he realized his action was a little too late. He was expecting a comment on how he was a bit of a hypocrite, but instead he was greeted by being pulled into another hug. "Alright, I'll try." She replied as though she knew he didn't want her pointing it out. Or perhaps it was a trait they had in common, and she understood in a different sense.

He didn't have the energy to ask, at least not at the moment.

"I'm going to go mad, here…" He finally spoke after leaning on her for just a moment "I've been feeling better lately, how about you finally show me around town?"

Andrea Yates had a best friend she had known since she was a child, at first she thought she was really rather weird...she read a lot, she was much brighter than her and seemed to need less social interaction. Yet with their differences, she was still considered one of her best friends. Though as of late she had barely seen her.

Perhaps she was a little pushy, she always was bossier and far louder than her. Did she say something and upset her by accident? Perhaps she should apologize…

But she seemed fine on the rare occasion they met, and on top of that she seemed almost distant from her. Something was different about the Sarah Jane Smith she knew, but she couldn't quite put a finger on it. Things were hard since she got her new job, and she was getting rather recognised as a brilliant journalist. She always seemed to have the latest story _before_ the other newspapers. She wondered what her trick was.

When the new version of the computer came in she thought perhaps exchanging emails would be easier, but her replies were often scarce and seemed to avoid many details. She recently said she was going to be busy, though she was going to try and be more responsive. Now she wondered if anything was her at all or if she was drifting apart from her old school friend.

She had plenty of friends, it wasn't like it was going to be the end of world. But it was still a depressing thought, someone she was _so close_ to drifting further and further away.

She let curiosity get the best of her, this was one of her biggest flaws. It wasn't Sarah's curiosity of wanting to find the truth like a good reporter, it was more that she seemed to have a bad habit of getting into other people's personal business.

She was never the best friend; she and Sarah had enough arguments (thought she honestly wondered if Sarah was a little sensitive) but she thought she at least deserved to know whether or not their friendship even still existed.

So she decided to just pass by, just be in the neighbourhood. When she figured out she probably wouldn't be home by this time and she had walked there for nothing, she decided perhaps she could go into town and think about how stupid this was. What was she trying to do? Catch her having the free time she claimed she didn't have?

It was then she ran into the best (or perhaps worst) coincidence, nearby she heard a familiar voice.

"You _told_ them that?" Sarah's voice spoke clearly, Andrea's head turn to look at who she was speaking to. "What will happen when they discover that you lied?"

"Well, I guess they stop praising a hat stand as a sacred object." A strange man's voice spoke in response "Not the first time I had to give one up…I'm was quite fond of my hat stands, they were so useful."

Whatever they were talking about, she couldn't understand. Why it was about a hat stand being a sacred object, she couldn't figure out either. Perhaps it was some strange joke, she was laughing and he was smiling while continuing his strange story.

"Oh, I have to tell you about the Skies of Always. Though I wish I could take you there myself, I think you would have loved it." He then said his arm wrapping around her shoulders "Though for now I'll settle for taking you somewhere on Earth, one day."

Wait, Sarah Jane…a _boyfriend?_ He was sure too affectionate and touchy-feely to be a relative she was simply showing around. At the very least, it was looking very much like that was the situation. Yes, she had one or two relationships but she didn't seem to take much interest after that. Something about her job needing to take priority.

If he was, he was a rather cute one. They both looked a little tired, but they seemed to be having a wonderful time with him speaking about places he's travelled and telling bad jokes…

But it also made her feel slight betrayed.

Sarah made it sound like she had only been speaking to her co-workers while chasing the next story. But right now, she seemed to be taking some time for a man she never once mentioned. Of course, it's the norm in most tropes, best friend gets a boyfriend, best friend starts to ignore friend and the friend is left behind.

Sarah's life seemed to be losing room for her.

Sarah however, had not noticed most of the people around her. She didn't exactly care for people who may be looking strangely at them as the man in front of her went on about planets she had never heard of. She didn't know where they were, they seemed to have wandered off somewhere she normally wouldn't have walked. He seemed to enjoy talking, _a lot_ , especially when it was about space.

"Do you miss it?" She asked when he had finished "Travelling I mean."

"Sometimes." He responded, he scratched the back of his head nervously "Though, I'm thinking my time for that is over now. Being restricted to this planet doesn't exactly help me impress, though."

"I think the fact you can program my TV to connect with intergalactic networks in impressive enough." She gave him a smile, and he gave a slight laugh.

"Well, if that's enough for you…" He shrugged "If you think that's impressive, wait to you see what I can make from a _radio."_

They stopped as she stood in front of him, there was a slightly shy smile on her face. One that distracted James for a second, he hadn't seen that smile in a while… "How about you show me how to build a sonic device?" She asked, oh wow that face was to look a little cute wasn't it? Was she _cutely_ asking if he could teach her how to make a _sonic screwdriver?_

"Why do you ask?" He tilted his head at her "I've got a feeling you're going to use it for mischief."

"Perhaps~" The smile on her face however answered that question, of course she saw it as a way to break into buildings. She didn't exactly find malicious aliens by just asking questions alone, after all. "Lock-picking takes more time, I could get caught faster. And if we ever get separated it's not like I could ask you. So…teach me."

"You're talking like we're going to work together, I though Miss. Smith worked alone when she's on a story."

"You were going to follow me anyway~"

"What makes you so sure?"

"Just a feeling." She answered vaguely.

"A feeling, eh?" He smirked, she was tempting him a little too hard right now, he had to remember the blood on his hands, whether or not he was worthy of even living in this peaceful world nevermind spending time with Sarah in this manner. "I guess your feeling is pretty accurate." He couldn't exactly deny he was going to, he wasn't going to leave her to the wolves. Besides, despite everything he told himself it was a nice excuse to spend time with her. He could teach her to build her own K9 if it meant that.

It had been so long since he had felt this relaxed, and on top of that old feelings were resurfacing piece by piece. It just felt a little too natural to talk with her like this, he didn't deserve her giving him that smile that made him almost think, perhaps she was saying this because she wanted to spend more time with him, too.

But she was asking because she needed to know, this was the best way for her to survive if she was on her own. He had to tell himself that before he did or said something completely and utterly _stupid_. He could make this whole situation fall apart if he was completely wrong.

"I'll teach you." He finally said after a slight pause just to try and read her intentions, though with the parts of him in his mind fighting over whether it was right or not he couldn't find an answer "Eventually, you might even be able to program your own custom settings. You're bright, smarter than you'll ever think you are. I have no doubt you'll make a simple one by the end of the first few days, maybe after a week you'll be making one at the level of my first." The compliments were pouring out his mouth without his control. "Even silly human brains are capable of so much more if they were to focus their minds like yours."

"I'm going to take that as a compliment." She seemed to have bright smile on her face from his comments "I like to think out of the silly humans, you consider me one of the capable ones."

"Of course." He went to place a hand on her cheek, but he instead settled it on her shoulder "I was once told I had _excellent_ taste."

When Sarah got home, she didn't realize what she was doing. Perhaps it was just what Harry said, but she did have to admit even before that call she was slightly drawn to the way he was. His humour, the rare moments she finally got to relax, that feeling of warmth he seemed to cause by just being his usual slightly lost-puppy self was hard to deny. But the way he complimented and spoke to her made it difficult not to fall for his charm.

He was alien, not just that but a 'superior' species. And yet he seemed to draw her in like he just _enjoyed_ the fact that she was asking him to teach her things. Yes, she needed to learn if she just wanted to survive but him having faith in her learning was something that made her a little… _proud_.

She hadn't touched her computer all day, it takes a while to start up and she hated looking at the influx of emails regarding work even if the Brigadier told the others to give her some time to breathe. Most of them were yet to be opened and were sent before the incident. She did take note of a familiar address of a message she had missed however.

Andrea, damn.

Why did she feel such distain speaking to her these days? She knew of friends growing apart but she didn't expect to feel so…unwilling to speak. Perhaps it was the fact she seemed offended when she missed her email often through the piles of the others she had to reply to, perhaps the fact she remembered being called _sensitive_ very often in arguments (most people would argue Sarah was the opposite of that of course) but she felt as though their friendship was making less sense.

Plus, she had to go ahead and admit to herself she had been majorly depressed as of recent. The biggest break from her emotional burdens she had were those few moments Jamie made her get away from her work and do something else. Or when she was doing the same when she noticed he was having his own little episodes of self-doubt he liked to hide behind a smile.

She decided to read it despite that, perhaps something happened. She'll just apologize again and perhaps buy herself another week. It was just asking how she was, and that she said she would message her more but she hadn't lately. She didn't want to seem selfish, but she wished she asked if she was alright or showed some concern.

But then again, even before they used the internet she'd barely respond. Perhaps she assumed she was just blowing her off for no reason.

There was a more recent message she will probably reply to, perhaps it would be good for her to try and be a little more social. She wouldn't be surprised if most people had assumed she was dead by now.

The contents weren't stress-relieving at all, it was an slight accusation under happy concerned words. Okay, she preferred the lack of concern now. There was one line which bothered her however.

" _I did hear you managed to find yourself a pretty man now, I hope that is all going well."_

Where the hell did she hear that? She wasn't dating anyone, she hadn't even had the chance to build a personal life. She was writing cover-ups and travelling to Scotland with Benton and Yates to beat Torchwood in the race for the spaceship crash. As if she had time for a date until recently, unless she was referring to…

Yes, she was out with Jamie a bit recently, that means someone she knew had spotted her and possibly told Andrea what they assumed.

She was so tired…but she told herself she would respond to her friends so she did.

It was her generic happy online face yes, but she was being honest to a certain point. She said she had to travel across the country, and no she wasn't seeing anyone. They were just…friends, she met him at work. She considered him someone important to her however, and it was just a small moment where she could relax like that with a _friend._

It wasn't like she could say ' _This handsome man collapsed near my doorstep.'_ because that would be completely unbelievable for the normal person and Andrea would call bullshit. She couldn't deny the possibility of perhaps…a _crush_ either but she wasn't going to show that in her message. She suddenly sounded slightly passive-aggressive in her reply, perhaps she was just _so tired_ and she was so happy until now but…she wanted to get the message across.

It simply boiled down to _"I'm under a lot of stress right now, I'm sorry if you feel neglected but I haven't touched my computer for anything other than research recently. I am on work leave and perhaps I will try and see you when I have everything in order mentally and physically. I am however disappointed that you'd believe some rumours coming from outsiders. You know more than anyone what they all think of me._

 _Out of everyone, I feel as though you were the most impatient. And maybe you were right to be, I did call you my best friend and left you in the dark. But I need to ask for some more patience, I will make up for it eventually…I just need to talk to someone who had to experience the same things as me right now."_

It seemed far politer than what she was thinking, but she sent it. Most understanding friends would wish her the best and hope she'll be alright, but she wondered if she'd just cause some aggression in return. Whatever, if she wasn't going to worry over the fact she had been put on leave than what sort of friend was she anyway?

She was popular enough, she would live. As for Sarah, she would be fine too. Yes what she does sometimes consumed her life when everything happens at once, but there was decent people…

And they care about her.

In fact, they were the most worried out of everyone after everything was said and done, she was an idiot. Perhaps she was keeping the wrong people at arm's length, who else would come running if she said was in trouble if it weren't for the famous _UNIT family_? And now she had a half-Gallifreyan living in her spare room.

For a moment, she felt a lot less alone.

With that thought in mind, she pulled up the chat client she had downloaded a while back on the request of Mike, she had barely touched it but she thought for the sake of her mental health talking to him about non-work things could feel a little nice.

She never got the chance to thank him for everything he had done, after all.

It was only when she decided to do this however, her phone started ringing. It felt more irritating than normal, maybe it was because she was hoping for a few moments of actual _human bonding_.

When she picked it up she almost dropped the phone at the voice at the other end.

" _Miss. Smith? I just wanted to check in."_ The Brigadier spoke with a sigh on his breath. It wasn't irritated, just… _tired._

"Oh, Sir Allister~" She spoke in her normal tone, one that would make someone believe she had energy to spare "I didn't think you would take this long _checking in_."

She heard a slight sarcastic 'haha…' at the other end _"I had a lot to sort out, I apologize for taking my time. Though I had to call earlier than intended, I heard you were on base and I know for a fact you brought someone with you. Are you going to tell me what the concern was?"_

It was almost intimidating, even if he didn't mean it to be. If she kept in mind what Harry said, he was actually more worried than he made himself out to be about others. He was just being the boss most of the time.

"Yes, I'm sure Harry told you he was phobic." She answered, she practically heard the eyeroll coming from him.

" _We are not a free clinic, Miss. Smith. Don't do that again."_ He stated quite bluntly _"Is there anything else you wish to tell me?"_

He was clearly giving her a chance to tell the truth, there would be no other reason for him to continue except to lecture. She contemplated the idea for a while, at the risk of getting Jamie into a lot of trouble of course. Harry asked her to speak to him, but a part of her wanted to ask her Gallifreyan friend first before she started telling UNIT about his presence. "There is something, but I will report it to when I have all the information necessary."

He was silent for a while, was he surprised she opened up or bothered that he couldn't get the details now? When she couldn't read his face, it was far harder to determine either way. She will probably get the answer to her question within a few moments.

"I order you to give me the information when you believe it's ready, and I mean _that is an order._ " He then sharply stated, so she didn't have much of a choice and couldn't avoid the matter forever. She already knew that but still, _damn_ …so soon.

He put down the phone almost straight after, yes he could be a little mad. Now she'll have that headache to deal with. Now she wanted out of her room for a bit.

When she headed downstairs, she was greeted by Jamie who had started working on her TV again. "You've already added the extra channels, what could you be trying to do this time?"

"Actually uhm…" Jamie looked up at her with a guilty gaze "The upgrade may have overheated it, apologies."

"So, you blew up my TV?" She asked with a bemused expression.

"Not blow up!" He corrected "Just…burned out a bit. I can fix it _I swear_."

She kneeled down beside him, it wasn't as if she knew exactly what he was doing. Everything he did was far more advanced than anything humans could accomplish in such a short mount of time…she was mostly just curious and wanted an end to her stress-headache. "Well, as long as it's fixable." She responded sitting closely beside him in order to allow the contents of the black box to come into view.

"I can't wait until you guys get HD TVs, you'll definitely like looking at that far more than this thing." He commented, she looked a little confused.

"HD TV…?" She asked, he suddenly widened his eyes.

"Ah sorry, you won't see that yet. With at the rate you guys here are going? Wouldn't surprise me if in the 2000s you have sound ads on every bus stop. We might get that fairly soon at this rate." He clarified, he grabbed a couple of wires and buzzed his sonic screwdriver into them.

"About that…you keep talking about us being ahead of our time, like you thought our technological advances were slower than this." She finally brought up, he froze in his actions "Why?"

"In the world I was from…" He began "You know, before I was exiled here…humanity took a little while longer to get the tech you own now."

"Another world…?" She asked, urging him to continue.

"The Timelords sat in the centre of most known universes, in fact they used to have the technology to jump between them without damaging the walls. I was thrown into this one, different than what I'm used to but I believe that makes things more interesting." He replied before getting back to undoing his mistake. "Not as if I could return even if I wanted to."

There was a moment of silence, only background noise was of James moving wires and the buzzing of a sonic screwdriver on occasion. He glanced at her a few times, she wondered if he was trying to read her a little. He had probably already caught onto the fact that something else was on her mind, otherwise he wouldn't seem to be waiting for her to speak once again.

"What's wrong?" He gave in and asked her "You seem a bit upset."

She gave a slight shrug as though it didn't actually bother her as much as it did, she was trying to seem as casual as possible. "Friend issues, job issues…apparently everyone wants me today." She answered, he looked at her and raised an eyebrow in suspicion of her lack of detail "Old friend feels neglected and yet I'm still pissed, the Brigadier wants me to tell him what's going on and I'm guessing my neck is on the line. Normal day for me~"

"Let's start with the first thing you mentioned, why are you still angry?" He asked, to start it all off. He had a few things to touch upon there but if he could perhaps _pry_ it out of her he might have some decent advice.

"I just thought that maybe, she'd have more faith in me. Or perhaps it's because she's started believing what is said about me, I don't care about what they think…it's upsetting to see the people you trust feel that way, however." She explained, James stopped what he was doing, he leaned back against the wall as he began to think through what she said.

"Which friend is this? I've only ever seen you talk to Harry…" He asked putting his complete attention onto her. He wasn't _amazing_ at keeping his focus but when it was important he seemed to be able to handle it.

"Old best friend from school days, known her for years, joined UNIT and we started drifting apart. I haven't spoken much to her in months." She leaned back with him "I have no idea what to tell her, and when I don't we argue, she says something that hurts me, she calls me sensitive then we go silent on each other for days…"

"I've never thought you were sensitive…" He commented "To be honest it sounds pretty bad coming from someone who knows you well enough to hurt you like that."

His comment was exactly what she was thinking, though she didn't like admitting that she thought it. The way she thought it however, was less gentle than the way James said it…

"To be honest, she does sound a little like she's madder about the time you didn't spend with her than worrying on what might have happened to you." He then added to his earlier comment, something else she had thought of too. Was he reading her mind right now? Or was it just so obvious that it was an easy situation to read?

"I think we're just growing apart." Sarah responded with a slightly lower tone "I think this has changed me too much, I'm no longer the person I was."

"I understand how that feels." He replied wrapping his arm around her shoulders pulling her in "I wonder if I'll be any part of who I was myself."

"Do you think we could ever feel normal again?" Her question was unfortunately not one he could answer but, he did have at least one hope in the matter.

"Even if we don't, I hope that one day we could feel happier and as though we could keep going forward." It was the only thing he could give, there wasn't much he could say when he didn't exactly have any idea himself "And what did the Brigadier ask?"

"Time's up." She simply replied "I have to tell him what's going on or he'll probably have my head. I have to introduce you to him."

Here we go again, the introduction he was waiting for and truthfully, he was oddly looking forward to it. Sure, it could go horribly wrong but he was an old friend and a face he hadn't seen in hundreds of years. "Don't worry, I'll try and leave a good first impression~" He teasingly spoke "I'll call him 'sir' and _everything_."

He managed to get a laugh out of her, thank God. "Please… _don't_." She said still smiling "If you get yourself thrown off the planet I'll have to follow to make sure you don't get yourself arrested somehow."

"You'd follow me?" His expression became serious, last time she did…he ended up hurting her in the end.

"I'm getting tired of people, anyway." She replied with a slight shrug, his eyes narrowed slightly "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing…" He tried to laugh it off, but truthfully his usual inner arguments were starting up again on whether or not he was harming her more than helping her right now. "I didn't think you trusted me that much."

"I'm just babysitting an ex-Timelord." She meant it as a joke, but her expression failed her. She felt as though she was making a mistake, that she may have accidentally upset him.

"I'm not a good man for you to stick with." He finally came out and said it, looking at his face he wasn't even close to kidding "You could find someone better."

"Like who?"

"Harry, Yates-:"

"Harry would drive me crazy, Mike is gay, the next man you're about to list will probably end up as his boyfriend when one of them could bring themselves to ask the other out." She cute him off quickly. "I'm not sure where this is going, but I never suggested it."

"You're the one who suggested that, is there anything you wish to tell me?" He asked, her expression was between slight shock and annoyance.

"I-I…" She stuttered and was unable to find her words.

His heart sank, he didn't want this to move further…it was too terrifying as it was. And yet, some part of him was a little bitter towards how terrified he was.

But this wasn't the place for a confession of any kind, it wasn't his nature. If he was _actually_ going to allow that to happen it would be far more than… _this._ Sitting here wasn't exactly what he thought of when making any sort of _moves_. He would take her somewhere under the moonlight, or even under the summer sunset, he wouldn't do it like this. Not that he would allow himself to let himself even have this.

She deserved more than that, she deserved more than what was happening right now.

"It's fine…" He stopped her before she spoke "You can come with me, I warn you though you may experience a bit of culture-shock. We'd have to make sure nobody follows us."

"Becoming a space fugitive wasn't exactly what I imagined, saying that most of my life didn't turn out like I thought." She reasoned with herself, already it was as though nothing was like it once was. Did she imagine this when she was younger? Definitely not, she even wondered these days if she was going to at some point end up dead after her luck finally ran out. Somehow hiding on another planet wasn't nearly as intimidating as it once was.

Perhaps it was also the part of her that secretly wanted to run.

"Enough of this…" James decided "It's not going to get to that point, that man is a lot of things but I know he'll like me too much to kick me off." He seemed so sure in his words, he even smirked a bit. A part of her wondered if he was just a teeny bit psychic, at this point she couldn't cross out the possibility that such a thing could exist after this month.

"I should warn you though, he's been really distrusting of visitors recently." She cautioned him, it's probably for the best. Though she did blame herself for it, if she knew he was going to practically drop from the sky she would have been more careful earlier. She might have actually done as she was told, at least for a little while (and even then, she wondered how long she could last).

"I think things will be fine…don't worry, I'm a little familiar with how his mind works."


	8. Chapter 8

"Your impatience surprises me…" Benton had been chasing the Brig all day, he seemed preoccupied "Is there something happening you're not telling us?"

The Brigadier was receiving pressure from all sides, the incident that left one of his best staff on leave was the exact incident that was still haunting him. The paperwork was painful, he was forced to push his team to the limit in order to clean up any traces. Now, he had a new concern that the very woman who knew the most information was the one starting to hide things from him. He couldn't help but wonder if letting her leave was the right thing.

He snapped under the stress and told her she was to reveal what she was hiding today, against Harry's suggestions. He admitted that after he had hung up, a sting of guilt came over him…perhaps he handled that badly, but he wasn't the sort of man to be gentle or soft. He also didn't see Sarah telling him before more questions arose.

He was tempted to order looking through the file of Sullivan's desk, he hated not knowing what was going on with his own people. It made his question his capabilities as a leader.

Perhaps, even he was affected by what happened.

He had been drinking a little more recently, more than usual. His wife was often telling him he could dangerously affect his health, but after everything he saw and the things he couldn't talk about…it helped ease some of the stress for a while. Blowing up the ship that hovered above London wasn't a decision to be made lightly, and he believed after all the attempts to make peace resulted in more death and destruction. He believed she made the right choice when she was at that console, she did the only thing she could in her power.

And yet, she still holds regrets…perhaps it's because he didn't know her on a more personal level he didn't understand what went through her head.

When the receptionist finally confirmed she was at the gates with her little friend, he immediately went back to his professional face. He decided to lead them in his office himself, after all it was finally a moment where he could normally take a break. Shame, he was now spending it questioning these two in whatever mischief they were doing while out of his gaze.

There was something about that man though, he wasn't sure why but despite barely knowing him the few minutes it took to welcome him into his office he felt like he had spoken with many different parts of him. With them sitting in the chairs before his desk, the _incredibly_ energetic man was fast to speak first.

"If I may start I just want to say, you did an excellent job running all this on your own." He was practically beaming "I have no doubt the higher-ups give you a hard time, though. All those cover-ups and being the ones blamed when things go horribly wrong…I never knew how you had the patience."

Allister was curious, this man seemed to know at least a little bit about him. However, he didn't know from where, information on himself was limited and even if he did find something he had to be working for someone else. This made him a bit more cautious.

"Thank you, but can we stick to the matter at hand? Miss. Smith, who is this man?" He looked almost a little cold, perhaps she did push away the topic a little too hard.

"He's uhm…" She thought for a moment in order to find a place to begin "You see he is-:"

"I'm Gallifreyan, at least…half of me is." James interrupted almost immediately in order to save her the trouble. With the Master the high council being their first experience, it was probably best if he displayed himself to be as harmless as possible "I'm James Chesterton, I have been exiled after the Time War to a universe I am entirely unfamiliar with. You could say I stole a spaceship and ran off." He smiled as though he was passing it off as a joke, Sarah's head fell into her hands. "Also, it'll be harder for me to find a life of Gallifrey. You see, Human-Gallifreyan people are rare within their own rights, but definitely not considered acceptable by any means."

"So…" The Brigadier scanned the rather dashing man with bright eyes and sunny smiles. "Even if you weren't _exiled_ you were planning to stay on Earth…? And at that, you have a record of misbehaving."

"Well, you would too if you were told you were going to spend the rest of your days sitting in a chair and barking orders around. Nevermind the complications of this body being the way it is." He answered, he honestly wanted the slightest glimmer of the Brig he knew, but he had to also keep in mind the chances of how different he could be. "I don't wish to cause trouble _here_. It wasn't even the Timelords who placed me here…" He swallowed hard "They're all gone."

It took a moment, for him it was only a little while ago they came to collect the Master. From what this man was saying, that entire pompous race was all wiped off the universe. From what he saw in their level of power, he at first couldn't quite let it sink in. "You're telling me they've almost gone extinct…?"

"I don't count." James stated "In this universe, they are extinct."

His earlier expression faded, no…that's right he didn't consider himself the last. Whoever the _Doctor_ was in that universe was the last. In this one, he had no right to carry that title. He was some strange hybrid that was weaker and more human than him. He may share their blood and most of their organs, but he definitely wasn't fit as the _last Gallifreyan_ in his eyes.

He almost gripped his chest where his single heart resided. The proof that he was no longer a part of that man, no wonder he had such an identity crisis…he couldn't tell who he was anymore.

There was a glimmer of sympathy in The Brigadier's eyes, whatever anger was there had faded enough for him to give a deep breath. "I see, I'm very sorry Mr. Chesterton." He responded "Since you're half-human, I believe it's safe to say you have a right to be on this planet."

Sarah never looked so relieved.

"But…" He raised a finger "I can't have you running around and risking causing a ruckus with your alien anatomy. You will have to come here for medical attention and any needs that involve keeping you as hidden as possible. I cannot guarantee I can protect you otherwise." His gaze turned on Sarah, he didn't understand…why didn't she just come out with this before? This was really that simple, with Harry's records he _did_ have a right to stay on this planet. She did both confuse and irritate him. "Miss. Smith…" He started, he could almost see the distrust "I'll leave him in your hands. Please report back anything strange this time."

It surprised her, with how distant they had become she didn't think he would outright decide to leave it all to her. She wondered if she was dreaming some sort of insanely successful scenario where they didn't have to argue, but right here…she was being _trusted_ with him. She honestly thought after everything that happened he might be far warier.

"Yes sir…" She replied with some slight confusion in her tone. "Anything else?"

"Oh no…" He replied "That's enough, I think if you've had a handle on him now you'll be just fine." He wanted her to trust her boss, he wanted her to report to him more often. It was hard enough to work with her as it is, and yet she was such an excellent asset he was reluctant to fire her as quickly as he would others. She would only go off and work on her own anyway, and that was far more dangerous and frustrating…they already had to fight with Torchwood he didn't need a particularly determined journalist and now half-Gallifreyan companion joining the chase.

"Thank you, I'll keep up the good work." She was sincere, no sarcasm, it was _completely_ sincere. Maybe Harry was right, he could get somewhere by just trusting her on her own a little bit sometimes.

He gave a nod signalling them to leave, he said he goodbyes and was left alone again in his office. This was a strange turn of events, that was for sure. He didn't _completely_ want to trust James but at the same time…there was this feeling.

That he had met him somewhere before.

"That went well…" James said on their journey back, it was pretty quiet apart from the sound of her car. He missed driving, though he didn't entirely remember how to do it, he had to admit he enjoyed those long drives in Bessy with the wind in this hair and the sun in the skies. It had been an _incredibly_ long time and couldn't help but to feel nostalgic.

"Yes, it did." Her response was a little quiet "I was expecting a bit more of a fight there, you're right he was softer with you."

"Yes…he was." His reply was also quiet, he wondered if they were both tired. "That's one less stress for you."

He was right, that was one less stress. She suddenly felt _so tired_ when the tense emotions finally dropped. Her feelings however, tensed up again when she thought of what might be waiting on the computer at home, she could ignore the work emails for now but the message from her best friend? Why was she so afraid of reading that message?

She shouldn't really be feeling this way, at least not about someone she supposedly cared about.

It was when she decided as they arrived home to just rip off the band-aid, she let James get to work of fixing her _still_ broken TV before heading upstairs. Waiting for the damn thing to load became irritating, but mostly because it gave her too much of a chance to back out. Once computers get faster, it would be easier to do such a thing. When she went online she almost backed out again, then she felt guilty for pushing away her friend like this…she growled at herself for being so weak and just opened the new message she got near lunch.

It was…an apology.

She apologized for upsetting her, apologized for everything…that perhaps she misplaced her worry a bit. She said she had thought it out long and hard and that all her difficult times, she said she should have been a better best friend. Sarah was relieved, the tense feelings finally let go. She even smiled a bit before all her negative thoughts about Andrea had finally been slightly forgotten, she wrote back saying she might be free, they could talk for a little bit since her new roommate might be busy with his new 'gig' in the afternoon anyway.

It was then they finally started talking, writing to each other a little more. Sarah opened up a little bit, she did reveal that the military work was hard enough, that she was on leave because she had to deal with something that lead to a few difficult decisions. Though she had to lie about James, saying that he was only there to help pay rent and keep an eye on her helped. She even went on to say that working to together made it easier for him who didn't drive either. He was a musician who liked to do commissions for restaurants or occasions, he also knew how to tinker with the electronics and she even laughed writing about her busted her TV was right now.

It was only until half way they moved it to a chat client, and she read over her message and realized something, yes…this was why people thought they were together. She talked about him until her messages became several paragraphs. She simply thought it was because, well she didn't have too much happening right now. She didn't stay there long and even if they worked together, she lied that driving him there and back prevented her from becoming stir-crazy.

It had been so long since they spoke like this, she felt like a teenager again…telling her confident, extroverted friend about a boy and then they'd move onto complaints about their daily life. It finally felt like things were getting better, it finally felt like her life was finally something she had some control over.

She then had to leave, she told Andrea to come over tomorrow…but she had to remember that James would be back by evening and he would be tired, she joked about Sarah being affectionate towards him, even trying to edge her towards admitting that may have liked him at least a little.

Sarah didn't honestly know.

She had never felt it in so long that she didn't entirely notice, and right now she didn't want to confuse herself. So, she said she _really_ had to go and make sure he didn't do anything else, she finally got to leave her room.

Somehow, he seemed brighter to her today…

Harry couldn't stand but to look at any more paperwork, neither could he stare at a computer screen. It had been an incredibly long day, he appreciated the current peace but at the same time it could make things drag. He almost signed off for the evening before his phone started ringing, it was strange…nobody should be calling right now. He answered with slight caution, it wouldn't be the first time someone tried anything over the phone.

That Master and his telepathy caused quite the chaos.

" _Harry!"_ The voice was the man Sarah called Jamie, at the very least it wasn't a threatening call _"Do you know if the Brig is still hiring?"_

He blinked a few times, he hadn't fallen asleep at his desk and started dreaming, had he? "N-no, not as far as I'm aware…why do you ask?"

" _I was just thinking of sending in my application, that's all."_ He answered, his bright tone not at all faltering _"Commissions are nice_ but _being paid decently is pretty tough, I also found some people were pretty rude and asked me to play for 'exposure'. In all my travels through space I have never once seen 'exposure dollars' used in any form to keep a roof over one's head."_

"I'll see what I can do…?" He was too tired to truly question his intentions, not that there were any bad ones from this man to begin with. He hated to seem insulting to him, but from the way Sarah described him he would have forgotten any malicious intent before he actually went through with it all.

" _Thanks, Harry!"_ He cheerfully responded with a chirp in his voice _"If he has any doubts, tell him that unlike the humans here; I have knowledge far beyond what you have all currently collected. I'm offering my services."_

That would cause a bit less of a headache, Harry had to admit. No more guessing, they have someone here who could explain what was going on far more quickly than they could with their limit human resources. That, and they already suspected Torchwood had their own alien mind contributing, they knew almost a little too much about the aliens that show up with bad intentions than they did within the first day. Perhaps the Brigadier would merely take it as an advantage.

Despite what happened last time, they still kept their belief that guns should be a last resort at least. Even if they carried them and even pointed them towards those they were attempting to arrest, if the person is sentient and attempting to talk them out of killing doesn't work, it would be then they would shoot.

It was partly Sarah's influence, despite the way she may act she didn't seem to be a fan of all the guns. Which was funny really, the one time she had to use one she was quite the sharpshooter.

"Now, if you don't mind I need to pack up now and head home. I'll bother him tomorrow morning when he hasn't locked himself up in his office." He sighed as he gathered up his things, the cheerful voice on the other end gave his goodbyes before finally hanging up. He guessed things went perfectly fine today then if he _actually_ wanted to come back. Wasn't Sarah coming back within the next week anyway? That would be interesting…

Too bad the last hiring spot was taken by someone else, though he could probably make room for a new scientist. They were actually scarce in UNIT, he tried to ask why but nobody had any answers on the matter. Perhaps there weren't enough that could take on a job where everything they knew would literally be turned upside down, it was a shame Dr. Shaw left but she had to go and do far more brilliant things for the world that didn't involve being stuck in these labs being underappreciated all day.

He took of his lab coat, put on his bag and finally let go of his workface as he left the building. No more Dr. Sullivan, just…Harry. Normal human who knows nothing about aliens Harry.

It was a relief, and yet he ended up drinking the same people he worked with. He believed this happened as it was easier to speak with the people who knew what you were going through. Tonight however, he was planning just to stay home. He could only hope that he won't get called in again tonight.

The Brigadier remained in his office far longer than intended. He should have been home hours ago, his wife would most definitely have his head when he finally returns.

However, since what happened he hadn't entirely been able to bounce back. He had been drinking more than normal, the guilt had been ripping him apart as he felt he had failed as a leader. He couldn't even comfort one of his own comrades after such a traumatizing situation. It was shameful of him, to say the least.

He had finished his brandy on a sour note, that if he had been there just a second in time he could have pushed the button himself. Nobody would be blamed but him, he could take another heavy burden…he thought. Now the government was on their backs and there were questions being thrown all about the place. Their go-to journalist wasn't there to create a story as she was at the heart of the storm, so he had come up with their own excuses.

He was still talking to officials, being asked why it wasn't handled differently. He wasn't exactly a tyrant, he couldn't go forcing people in the centre of the situation to clean it up on top of it all. Besides, he made sure all the evidence was gone, Benton was swift in repeating his order and thus had gotten a promotion to sergeant for the way he handled the situation. He deserved it, not many men could pull off what he did when most of the other leaders were scurrying about.

Then there was Torchwood… _fucking Torchwood._ Their little policy of _'if it's alien it's ours'_ always felt off to him. But he feared they were starting to favour them now with the way things are heading.

Of course, there was this little group he liked better. By some captain that liked toe flirt with anything that had a pulse. He tried not to judge but…could he at least be professional? Allister was starting to become rather jaded with these groups strolling their way into the alien defence scene after all.

He was disturbed by someone swinging open his door, if it wasn't an emergency he often found that quite rude. Especially when he was busy trying to clear his head.

"Sir, we have a problem." A familiar voice rang through his ears…Benton? Shouldn't he be home by now? "Several men have gone mad! They just started shooting at us as we began to leave base." He then explained, alright The Brigadier was back to being in his usual mindset.

He immediately got out of his seat, this was _exactly_ what they needed when they were already being judged from every corner…


End file.
